Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42168837›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2026

Exploring microbial ecology in public swimming pools: a metagenomic investigation of community structure and environmental correlates.

Ling Tong, Yongping Liu, Fengchan Han, Yuanqiang Jiang, Shengjie Ying, Bo Zhang, Yu Cheng, Zhongling Liu, Yewen Shi, Mingjing Xu and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Ling TongDepartment of Environmental Health, Institute for Monitoring and Control of Health Risk Factors, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 201107, China.
Yongping LiuShanghai Putuo District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Putuo District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 200333, China.
Fengchan HanDepartment of Environmental Health, Institute for Monitoring and Control of Health Risk Factors, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 201107, China.
Yuanqiang JiangShanghai Songjiang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Songjiang District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 201600, China.
Shengjie YingShanghai Minhang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Minhang District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 201199, China.
Bo ZhangShanghai Huangpu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Huangpu District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 200023, China.
Yu ChengShanghai Xuhui District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Xuhui District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 200237, China.
Zhongling LiuShanghai Jing'an District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Jing'an District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 200041, China.
Yewen ShiDepartment of Environmental Health, Institute for Monitoring and Control of Health Risk Factors, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 201107, China.
Mingjing XuDepartment of Environmental Health, Institute for Monitoring and Control of Health Risk Factors, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 201107, China.
Chuanxi TangShanghai Changning District Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Shanghai Changning District Health Supervision Institute), Shanghai, 200051, China.
Shaofeng SuiDepartment of Environmental Health, Institute for Monitoring and Control of Health Risk Factors, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 201107, China. suishaofeng@scdc.sh.cn.
Tian ChenDepartment of Environmental Health, Institute for Monitoring and Control of Health Risk Factors, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 201107, China. chentian@scdc.sh.cn.

Funding

The Key Projects in the Three-year Plan of Shanghai Municipal Public Health System (2023-2025) GWVI-4
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have identified correlations between swimming and outbreaks of various infectious diseases. However, a comprehensive understanding of the pathogens present in public swimming pool water has yet to be systematically established. Swimming pool water samples were collected from 20 indoor public swimming pools in Shanghai, China during the summer of 2023. After quality inspection of the extracted nucleic acid, the qualified samples were subjected to metagenomic sequencing to profile the microbial communities of swimming pool water. A total of 24,035 microbial species were identified with the abundance of bacteria (99.46%), followed by archaea (0.29%), viruses (0.20%), and fungi (0.05%), including 441 pathogenic species, 23 of which were classified as biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) microorganisms. Environmental sources constituted the dominant origin (86.00%) of the pool water microbiome. Additionally, suburban pools demonstrated greater microbial diversity than urban pools (P < 0.05). The abundance of viruses exhibited a positive correlation with the concentration of urea in pool water (r = 0.31, P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that swimming pool water serves as a potent reservoir and mixing vessel for various highly pathogenic microorganisms. Effective water quality management strategies are essential to mitigating the potential public health threats of public swimming pools.

Indexed as

BacteriaMetagenomicsMicrobiotaSwimming PoolsWater MicrobiologyArchaeaBiodiversityChinaFungiMetagenomeVirusesWater QualityMetagenomic sequencingPathogenic microorganismsPublic swimming poolsWater quality management

Identifiers

PMID42168837
PMCPMC13465383

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.